Exposed
by drcjsnider
Summary: Rose's boyfriend is hiding something. She's determined to discover what it could be, even if it means cooperating with the one man who has always driven her mad.


**Title:** Exposed  
**Summary:** Rose's boyfriend is hiding something. She's determined to discover what it could be, even if it means cooperating with the one man who has always driven her mad.  
**Rating:** NC-17  
**Warnings:** Language, Graphic Sex, Infidelity  
**Word Count:** 8630  
**Author's Note:** Written for lj smrw-ficafest. The requestor - **pentrue** asked for: _Rose AND/OR Scorpius work at the Ministry: Rose asks Scorpius to spy on her long-term, co-worker boyfriend. Jealousy, rivalry, office!sex, desire. A ruthless, calculating Scorpius would be much appreciated._ She also wanted: _I'd like a serious, morally ambiguous story. A mature romance, tear-jerker with hot (and I mean smoking hot) sex and true love._ I only got about half of your request into my story, but I hope it still pleases. Huge thanks to the talented and lovely **queenb23more**, who offered most kindly to beta this story.

Rose Weasley walked into the Auror department with an agenda. After six months of pussy-footing around she was finally going to get an answer to the question that had been gnawing at her for much too long – was her boyfriend cheating on her?

She could have gone to her father or her uncle or even James for help, but she didn't want to deal with the family drama. There would be enough outrage and commotion if she was right about the infidelity without having someone she was related to gathering the evidence of the possible affair. It was much better to let an acquaintance, someone not closely tied to the Weasleys, handle the investigation.

So what if she personally happened to find this "acquaintance" a condescending prat with more self-assurance than was healthy for anyone? Uncle Harry had nothing but praise for his instincts and ability to flush out the truth. Her father was continually impressed by his wand work and strategic mind. Even James had once mentioned that this was one bloke you could count on to have your back in a fight. Therefore, this was the man – arrogant git or not – who Rose was going to ask for help.

"You here to see your father?" Romilda Vane, the secretary for the Auror Department asked when Rose approached.

She shook her head. "Not today. Could you point me to Scorpius Malfoy's desk?"

0-0-0

Scorpius was not in his chair when Rose walked into the open plan office. There were only a few Aurors hunched over doing paperwork, so she guessed he was probably at lunch with his partner. She decided to wait and used the time to rifle through his desk for anything incriminating. You never knew when a hastily crumpled up receipt for an embarrassing magical hair removal procedure might come in handy.

Unfortunately, Scorpius kept a well organized and immaculately tidy desk. No stray scraps of paper, no file folders filled with pornography, no risqué girlfriend pictures – it was really quite boring of him. She did find a coffee club card that needed just one more punch before he got a free cup and a membership photo to a Muggle gym with Scorpius' picture but the name Scott Morgan stamped on it. These, however, were not the least bit damaging.

As Rose reached behind a spell-o-tape dispenser to see if anything lurked in a dark corner of the drawer, it began to vibrate. She quickly pulled her hand out as it slammed shut and locked with a click. Standing over the desk, glaring at her, while his wand tapped on his thigh, was the man for whom she'd been waiting.

"Damn it, Malfoy! I could have lost my fingers."

"You'll lose a lot more than that if I ever catch you snooping around my private space again," he warned.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I don't see what you're complaining about. Your private space is completely and utterly devoid of anything interesting or salacious." She paused for a moment and allowed her eyes to rake him from head to foot. "Kind of like you."

Scorpius looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, too. Instead, he settled for raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here, Weasley?"

She suspected it was too late to turn on the charm. "I need a favor."

"No."

"Why not?" she huffed. "You don't even know what I want."

"Granting someone a favor implies friendship. Something we definitely do not share," Scorpius stated matter-of-factly.

"We have mutual friends, so helping _me_ out is really like helping one of them," Rose explained, giving him a winning smile that rarely failed to convince people to do her bidding.

"Then get one of them to ask me for help," Scorpius drawled. He stared intently at his chair, until Rose got the hint, stood up, and moved so he could sit down.

"What I need is confidential. I'd rather not have a lot of people know about it."

"Well, then I guess you're out of luck," he replied, pulling his chair close to the desk and grabbing a piece of paper from his in-box.

Rose knew he was trying to dismiss her. Luckily, one of her best skills was ignoring the patently obvious. "How about helping me in memory of all the good times we shared back at Hogwarts?"

Scorpius rested an arm on his desk and turned his head to look at her. "There were no 'good times' for us at Hogwarts, Weasley. Whenever I made an effort to be civil, all I got in response from you was a heart-felt 'fuck off.'"

Rose blushed, primarily at the accuracy of his statement. "Is that how you remember it?" she asked. It was a weak stalling maneuver, but she needed a couple of seconds to clamp down on any feelings of regret left over from her immature childhood behavior.

"That's how it was."

Although Rose's face remained impassive, she knew he was right. Back in school, she had absolutely no desire to join the multitude of Scorpius' devotees. It made her physical nauseous to watch girls swooning at his feet, professors acting like he was the best student they'd had in a generation, or his Housemates treating him like some sort of untouchable golden boy. If everyone else was going to fawn over Malfoy's looks, intelligence, and abilities, Rose decided that she would be the one who loudly and frequently pointed out his flaws and failures. It hadn't made for a very cordial relationship even though Scorpius had usually taken the high road and ignored her repeated abuse. "Would it make any difference if I admitted to acting that way because of resentment and jealousy?"

"No. However, it would give me a good story to share when I get together with my fellow Ravenclaw alums."

"Merlin, you are such a bloody wanker!" she ground out.

"You really have no idea how to ask for a favor, do you?" Scorpius asked her with a shake of his head.

Rose took a deep breath to calm down and gave him her winning smile again. "Let me buy you a cup of coffee and explain the situation. If you still don't want to help me after that I won't bother you any more."

Scorpius didn't reply for several seconds. Rose was convinced he was about to turn her down when he nodded. "Fine, you can tell me about it. I can't be gone for long though. Some of us have jobs that require real work."

Biting her tongue to keep from hexing him, Rose simply nodded. Being pleasant to Malfoy over a latte was a small price to pay for acquiring his aid. If everything worked out, she'd be getting off extremely cheaply, especially since she'd had the forethought to pocket his coffee club card.

0-0-0

_Scorpius was waiting at the door of the changing room when Rose finished up with Quidditch practice. Although the rest of the Slytherin team had walked by twenty minutes ago, he knew that Rose liked to get some extra time in front of the hoops to build up her endurance. "Weasley," he called when she came into speaking distance, "I want to talk to you."_

"Make it quick, Malcontent, because I need to shower."

"I've started a study group for O.W.L.S."

"I heard."

Of course she had. His study group was the talk of the entire fifth year class. It was the most exclusive association at Hogwarts, filled with only the top students. A seat in the group was almost a guarantee of outstanding marks in the end of the year examinations. "Would you like to join us?" he asked. "There is an open seat. Ken Macmillan fell victim to a panic attack and has been taken to St. Mungo's to recuperate."

"Why me?" Rose asked suspiciously. "It's common knowledge that I don't get good marks."

Scorpius swallowed and wished desperately that Rose's Quidditch uniform didn't hug her curves quite so well. It made it difficult for him to think and even harder for him to answer her candidly. "It's obvious in class that you are smart and know what you are talking about. In Runes, especially, you catch on faster than anyone else. I'm sure there are things I could learn from you."

Scorpius' breath caught in his throat as Rose stepped towards him. Their chests were almost touching. He wondered briefly if she was going to kiss him. It was a mad thought, because Rose never hesitated to let him know just how loathsome she found his presence. Still perhaps his gesture today had finally broken through her antagonism.

She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Who are you rooting for Saturday, Hufflepuff or Slytherin?"

Scorpius drew back to look at her face. Surely he'd heard her wrong. "What?"

"Who do you want to win the Quidditch match this week, Hufflepuff or Slytherin?"

Maybe this was a test? Did she want him rooting for her? "Ur… I'm going to cheer for Slytherin."

As she leaned forward again, he closed his eyes. "Wrong," she whispered in his ear.

His eyes shot open and he watched Rose step back. "You need Hufflepuff to win this week. If Slytherin wins, Ravenclaw won't have a chance at taking the House Cup this year."

Scorpius shook his head in an effort to clear it. He felt like he'd been set up.

"Next time you ask me to join a study group, make sure to have something that _**you**__ can teach me," Rose told him as she walked into the changing room._

0-0-0

"You want me to spy on your boyfriend?" Scorpius asked her incredulously.

Rose grimaced. "Spying sounds so negative. Instead, let's say I want you to monitor his activities."

He didn't look any more supportive of her request. "You want me to monitor your boyfriend's activities?"

"Just until you figure out what he's hiding. I don't need you to do it for the next twenty years or anything."

"Why don't you just ask him what he's hiding?" Scorpius asked, sounding as if he was genuinely confused.

"You've never been in a serious relationship, have you?" Rose replied. She knew he hadn't been, but she liked to rub it in. "Asking one's boyfriend if he is hiding anything would indicate a lack of trust. Trust is necessary for any successful relationship."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes. "But you don't trust him. Why not?"

Rose shrugged. Merlin, she didn't want to admit anything was wrong with her life in front of Malfoy. Still, it was better than having to talk about it with her parents. "He's been coming home late, going into the office on weekends, spending more evenings with his friends than with me. He's also been distant and aloof. You know Matt; he's the friendliest, most open guy in the room. For him to become all detached and unsociable is a pretty good indication that something is wrong."

"What do you suspect?"

She dropped her eyes to her cup. "Another woman."

When Scorpius didn't reply, she looked up at him. "Isn't that what men typically hide from their girlfriends?"

"I wouldn't know," he replied. "Do you have any physical evidence to support your theory? Lipstick on his collar, the smell of perfume on his shirt?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing like that. But…" She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "He's not been interested in sex lately, at least not interested in sex with me. Who knows what he's mucking around in when he's 'working late.'"

Malfoy's eyebrows shot up.

"Don't say anything rude unless you want me to stab you with my stir straw," Rose warned him.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Scorpius pushed back his chair from the table and stood up. "I'll follow your boyfriend and see what I can find out."

"You will?" Rose asked, also rising. "What made you change your mind?"

Scorpius left a Galleon on the table for their waitress. "His behavior does sound suspicious. It's unbelievable to me that anyone involved with you would not take advantage of the opportunity to fuck you regularly," he smirked, turning on his heel and walking away from the stunned redhead.

0-0-0

_Scorpius felt like a stalker. However, he couldn't stop watching them. It was sickening really how they hung on each other. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised by their public displays of affection. They were both demonstrative people and Weasley had proven long ago that she was shameless. Still, Finnigan was gripping her arse so tightly that she'd probably have bruises in the morning._

He suspected they were shagging. Surely Finnigan wouldn't be so caviler about running his hands all over her body in public if they weren't sexually active. He wondered where in the castle they fucked. As a prefect for the last two years, he'd come across half a dozen couples in various hiding places around the castle. It was always embarrassing for everyone involved.

Still, he'd give his wand arm to stumble upon an unclothed Weasley and Finnigan. He bet their romance wouldn't last a week after McGonagall told Rose's dad about his daughter's extra-curricular activities.

"It's no use, you know?"

Scorpius turned to look into the face of Charlotte Goyle, who had just sat down on the bench next to him.

"What's no use?" Scorpius and Charlotte weren't close despite their fathers' friendship.

"Lusting after Rose."

"I'm not," he scoffed.

"Oh, please. Don't even bother to deny it. I recognize the signs. Zabini panted after her all last year, but she never gave him a second glance."

Scorpius couldn't fault Rose's judgment. Francesco Zabini was a complete and utter prick.

"She's determined to bed and wed a Gryffindor."

He raised an eyebrow in genuine interest. "Surely even Weasely isn't moronic enough to select her dates based on where they were sorted."

Charlotte giggled. "The way she explained it is that her family had to forgive her getting sorted into Slytherin because she had no say in the matter. Dating outside of the family house, however, would be an unforgivable offense."

"Her family almost sounds worse than mine."

"Do they care about houses, too?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No, they care about blood."

0-0-0

Rose sat at her desk in the Department of International Magical Cooperation reviewing proposed trading standards for wand wood. She was bored out of her mind. She needed to write a report for her supervisor on whether or not the British should sign onto the proposed agreement but couldn't find it within herself to give a shite. Seriously, she should have known that when her Uncle Percy told her this a job was a ticket to rapid advancement in the Ministry that he was speaking out of his arse like usual.

She was just about to pack it in for the day when an inter-departmental memo arrived on her desk. The message inside read: _Meet me in our old spot at 4:00. M._

Rose frowned at the message. It wasn't Matt's handwriting, so it had to be from Malfoy. Since she had no 'old spot' with him, he must be referring to the coffee shop they had gone to the day before. Of course, the infuriating man couldn't just say that – it would be too simple. No, he had to invent some nonexistent history between them. She was tempted to blow him off or at least leave him sitting alone for an hour. Maybe that would teach him not to assume she could just drop her work at will and do his bidding. He was right, she could, but it didn't make it any less annoying.

Still, she was much too curious to find out exactly what he had discovered about Matt. There was no chance in hell that she was simply going to ignore his summons. Therefore, less than ten minutes later, she was sitting across from him at a table in the coffee shop.

"Great note," she told him a roll of her eyes.

"I thought you'd appreciate the intrigue," he told her in his usual bored tone.

"If you wanted to go all cloak and dagger on me, why did you send me an inter-departmental memo? Why are we meeting in public? If this is the type of undercover working being done by the new generation of Aurors, then the government is just ripe for a coup."

A corner of Scorpius' mouth quirked up at her sarcasm. "I didn't realize you were a back alley type of girl, Weasley. Next time I'll make sure that we meet in an appropriately secluded location."

"What do you mean, next time?" she replied, her brows furrowed. "I thought we were meeting because you had an answer to my question."

Scorpius sat back in his chair and looked at her incredulously. "You just asked me to follow him yesterday. How in the world did you expect me to have anything for you already?"

Rose crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know. The way that Dad and Uncle Harry go on about how good you are, I expected fast results."

He perked up. "Your Dad and uncle have told you I'm good?"

"This can't be a surprise to you?" she asked disbelievingly.

Scorpius just shrugged and tried to act disinterested.

"You're pathetic," Rose said, but a grin belied her words. She decided to throw him a bone. "They both have said that you are the best new Auror in years and have great instincts for the job. I made Mum and Aunt Ginny check them for the Imperius and they were clean, so I know they meant it."

The small smile that graced his face made him look adorable and almost human. Rose needed to get back to business before the antipathy she typically felt for him deserted her. "Now that you got your early Christmas gift, explain why I'm here."

Scorpius refocused on her. "I have the next two days off. If you give me Finnigan's schedule, I can start digging into what – if anything – he's hiding from you."

"You couldn't have asked me this yesterday?"

"Perhaps, but I needed to think things through. This is my first non-Ministry assigned detective work."

"Well, let me tell you that so far you suck."

"Weasley," he growled.

"Sorry," she muttered, pulling a scrap piece of paper and quill from her bag. "I just need some answers. I want this over with."

"Are you hoping to find something?"

Rose shrugged, not bothering to look up from writing down Matt's schedule.

"You know," Scorpius stated softly, "if you're not happy in the relationship, you don't have to search for a reason to break up with him."

Rose raised her head quickly and her eyes flew to his. "I'm happy! Or at least I would be if all this secrecy and strangeness hadn't started. Matt and I are great together. Our personalities complement each other perfectly."

Scorpius scoffed. "Please, your personalities totally compete with each other. I've never met two people more determined to be the center of attention. I'm surprised you didn't dump him long ago so you wouldn't have to share the spotlight."

Rose pushed back her chair from the table forcefully and thrust the paper toward him. Her face was red. "You know nothing about me and Matt. Don't contact me again until you have some answers," she hissed, turning quickly and marching from the shop.

0-0-0

_Scorpius stood in the middle of the Great Hall, waiting for McGonagall to announce with whom he would be sharing the first dance of the Leaving Ball. He already knew what name she would be calling. The seventh years had voted for who they wanted to take the floor first. As Head Boy, he'd been required to count the ballots. He'd been pleasantly surprised to be chosen by his classmates to lead off the Ball. He'd been much less pleased that Head Girl, Mallory Davies, would be his partner. Therefore, he made a slight adjustment to the count in order to dance with the one girl at Hogwarts who fascinated him._

He glanced over at the table where Rose Weasley sat on the lap of Matt Finnigan, surrounded by other Slytherins and Gryffindors. In Scorpius' opinion, the worst thing that ever happened to Hogwarts in the last twenty-five years was those two houses establishing an alliance. Cunning and bravery made a dangerous combination when not restrained by foresight and prudence. They had certainly made his duties as Head Boy more difficult.

McGonagall cleared her voice, causing all heads to turn in her direction. "Joining Mr. Malfoy in tonight's first dance is Miss Rose Weasley."

A gasp went up from the Ravenclaw table and Scorpius felt momentarily guilty as Mallory's smile disappeared. His attention was diverted, however, by Finnigan's laugh. He turned back to the 'Slythindor' table to see Rose disentangling herself from her boyfriend's arms. She shook out her hair, pulled her shoulders back, and walked with bravado towards him in spite of the catcalls of her friends.

When she reached him, she gave a grin, placed her right hand in his and her other hand on his shoulder. "Looks like you are getting what you've always wanted, Malformation," she said as he placed his left hand on her waist.

"And what exactly would that be, Weasley?" he replied as the music started.

"Me in your arms."

"You're delusional," Scorpius told her as they began to move.

"Well, one of us is," Rose replied with a wicked smile.

Scorpius led her into a natural spin turn before gracefully pulling her back into his arms.

"Wow," Rose gasped still smiling. "Keep dancing like that, Malodorous, and I just might revise my opinion that you are nothing but a huge waste of space."

He was ready to tease her back when they were both distracted by a commotion at the 'Slytherindor' table where Matt Finnigan had pulled Ethan Flint into a mock waltz and was trying to bend him back into a deep dip. Everyone at the surrounding tables was laughing and pointing at the spectacle they were making. "Your boyfriend is a real arse."

"He likes to have his fun," Rose said with a slight frown.

"No matter who he has to mock to do it."

"He's not trying to be cruel. He just enjoys making people laugh and having a good time. So what if he's loud, exuberant, and tends to steal the limelight? He's confident. It's not a huge character flaw."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Scorpius asked skeptically.

Rose pursed her lips and he thought for a moment she was going to lash out. Instead, she gave him a lopsided grin. "Shut it and spin me again, Malady, the song is almost over."

0-0-0

As Rose sat in her flat Thursday evening trying to read the latest Chudley Cannons scouting report, she was distracted by the fact that Matt was over an hour late for their dinner plans. She'd tried Flooing him, but he hadn't been home. She wasn't the type of girl who flew into a panic over every small complication or cancelled date, however, given her recent suspicions she was more on edge than usual.

Therefore, when an owl began tapping at her window, she fairly flew from her seat to retrieve its message. _I have your answers. Floo to Number 2 Kensington Place immediately. M._

This was it, then. She was finally going to find out the truth. For a split second, she wished she hadn't involved Malfoy in her personal life. She had a feeling now that she had let him in, it wouldn't be easy to get rid of him – if she even wanted to – no matter what he ended up telling her about Matt.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a pinch of Floo powder and stepped into her fireplace.

When she stepped out, Malfoy was waiting for her in what she could only assume was the living room of his flat. "Nice outfit," he drawled.

Rose blushed and looked down at what she was wearing. She'd put on a pair of red gaucho pants with a white one-shouldered ruches top trimmed with rhinestones for her evening out with Matt. "Sorry. Is there a dress code at _Chez Malfoy_?

He nodded and rose from his seat. "But I'll make an exception for you."

"Thanks," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked. "A glass of wine? A butterbeer?"

Rose shook her head. If he drew this out much longer, she'd end up getting sick on his carpet. "Spill it, Malfoy. I need to know what's been going on with Matt."

He looked sympathetic and slightly sad. She knew it wasn't going to be good. "Let's sit down."

"No. Just tell me."

Scorpius walked over to stand in front of her. He took her hand and held it gently. "You were right."

Rose closed her eyes.

"Finnigan—"

"Don't," she whispered, looking up into his face. "Give me a minute."

He nodded and turned to move away, but she refused to release his hand. "Rose," he began, but before he could get any further, she had pressed herself against him and brushed her lips against his.

She felt him shudder.

"No, this isn't right. Not like this," he said in a gruff voice. However, he didn't step back and he didn't push her away.

Rose wrapped her free arm around his neck. "Don't give me that, Malfoy. I need this, now. Besides, we've been building towards this since that kiss last December. Please, don't stop me."

He remained still, standing stiff and rigid as Rose pressed kisses along his jaw. The moment she bit his neck, however, she could tell he'd given up trying to resist. He sagged against her and cupped her arse with his hands.

"Merlin, Rose," he whispered in her hair, as she ran her tongue over the indentations she'd left on his skin.

"Fuck me, Scorpius," she said, cringing internally at how much it sounded like begging.

His fingers dug into her skin and she watched as he scanned the room for an appropriate surface. "Where…" he started awkwardly, suddenly looking unsure of himself.

"Bedroom," Rose replied. Before he could have second thoughts, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him with all the passion, pent-up frustration, and anger that were coursing through her veins. She expected to have to be the aggressor but was pleasantly surprised when his tongue pushed its way into her mouth, probing and demanding a response that she happily gave.

Rose had gotten so caught up in the kiss that she gasped in shock when the back of her knees hit Scorpius' bed causing her to sit down hard on the comforter and break contact with him. She'd barely been aware that they were moving. They stared at each for several seconds, both of them breathing hard and neither of them saying a thing. Rose's tongue darted out to wet her lips and immediately everything was in motion once more.

She leaned forward to unbutton his trousers, as he pulled off her top. She pushed down his undershorts and he unclasped her bra. As she reached out to rub his cock, he sank down next to her on the bed and hungrily sucked one of her nipples into his mouth. She fell back against the mattress, dragging him with her.

Rose released a soft moan when Scorpius moved his attention from one breast to the other and then increased the pace at which she was stroking his cock.

Scorpius shifted positions so that he was kneeling over her. His head came down to meet her mouth in another frantic kiss while he hands worked to remove her gauchos and knickers.

Rose felt like she was on fire. Everything that Scorpius was doing to her was making her hot and crazy. She opened her eyes and undid the buttons on his shirt, pushing him up slightly so that she could remove it from his arms.

"Merlin, you're pretty," he told her softly, as he looked down at her.

She grinned and allowed her eyes to drift slowly from his broad shoulders to his toned chest to his flat stomach. "Not half as pretty as you are, Malfoy."

He shook his head.

She reached up, placed a hand on the back of his neck, and pulled him back down to her. His next kiss was rougher than before and when he slid his hand between her legs, his long fingers stroking and teasing her, Rose thought she'd lose her mind. She couldn't think at all. It was all feelings, the slide of one hot wet body against another, the scrape of nails against skin, and the thrust of tongue against tongue.

When he entered her, Rose arched up off the bed, her heels digging into the mattress.

"Fuck," he groaned, not moving for several seconds, before withdrawing and then entering her again forcefully.

"Yes," Rose gasped, as she and Scorpius settled into a vigorous, pounding rhythm. She bit his shoulder and raised her hips so that his thrusts were deeper and more filling.

"Oh, Merlin," he ground out, sounding unsteady. He grabbed her right thigh and pushed it open even further, so she was completely exposed, completely bared to him.

Rose's head whipped back against the pillows and she slipped her fingers between them, rubbing her clit in time to his thrusts. She could hear him murmuring disjointed words to her, but she was beyond understanding. Within seconds, she broke apart and couldn't hear or see or feel anything but a flood of pure pleasure.

As Rose began to regain her senses, she could feel Scorpius' hand stroking her belly. She couldn't believe how content she felt. She should be a mess. She'd just found out her boyfriend of three years was a lying bastard. She'd then cheated on him with a man who until recently she could barely tolerate to be with in the same room. Moreover, she was pretty sure she'd just had the best sex of her life, which was pitiable given that it hadn't been at all romantic or loving. It had been raw and fast and hard, and she wanted to do it all over again.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on the ceiling. "Okay, who was he with?"

His hand stilled. "What?"

"Matt. Who has he been screwing around with?"

"He wasn't screwing around with anyone."

Rose sat up, clutching a sheet to her chest, and staring at him in disbelief. "But you said he was!"

Scorpius propped his head on his hand and stared back at her. "I said nothing of the sort. All I said was that you were right. Before I could explain what you were right about, you jumped me."

She narrowed her eyes. "You sneaky wanker! You knew what I would think! I would never have slept with you if I didn't think he was fucking someone else. You're so pathetic, you probably planned this all out."

She moved to get out of bed, but he grabbed her arm. "Oh, no you don't, Weasley. This is not my fault. I tried to tell you what Finnigan was up to. I tried to stop you from kissing me, but you didn't want to wait. You didn't want to listen. The only thing on your mind was shagging me."

"You're delusional."

"Well, one of us is," he replied, throwing her words from a year ago back in her face.  
"You know, as well as I do, that something has been building between us since Christmas. That is why you came to me for help in the first place. You could have gone to James or your uncle or even your father. Fuck, you probably could have figured it out for yourself, but you came to me. Why do you think it that is?"

Rose wanted to say something nasty and cruel, but it felt like her mouth had been wired shut.

"I'll tell you why! You came to me because you wanted me figure everything out and then to comfort you. Fuck, I could have told you that the only thing wrong with Finnigan was a hangnail and this still would have happened. You've wanted to throw yourself in my arms, kiss me, and spread your thighs for me since December."

"You're a lunatic," Rose told him climbing out of bed and grabbing her knickers.

"Why can't you just admit that there is something between us? I know what I've been feeling isn't completely one-sided!"

"Get over yourself," Rose said as she pulled her blouse over her head, not bothering to locate her bra. She stepped in her pants and then glanced around the room looking for her shoes. "None of this is about you. It's always been about me and Matt."

Scorpius watched as she closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she looked in his direction but refused to meet his eyes.

"If Matt hasn't been cheating on me, what is up to?" she asked, her voice strained.

"He's been using Muggle narcotics. He and one of his co-workers steal them from the Abuse of Muggle Arifacts storeroom."

"Impossible! His job is to turn Witches and Wizards who engage in the abuse of Muggle drugs to the authorities in Magical Law Enforcement."

Scorpius shrugged. "I'm not sure when it began, but since October, he's been removing from the Ministry much of the cocaine, marijuana, and heroin that cross his desk. When he disappears for hours at a time, when he forgets to show up for your dates, and during his lunch breaks, Finnigan is off getting high or making arrangements to get high later."

Rose sat down at the end of the bed, her mind swirling. Matt hadn't been cheating on her, but he'd been breaking the law and abusing the power of his position. He was probably addicted. He definitely needed help. She hadn't even noticed.

She jerked when Scorpius placed his hand on her arm. "I know this hard, but it's better to find out now than when it all comes crashing down on his head."

Rose pulled away from him, disgusted with herself for wanting to crawl back into Scorpius' arms. Her boyfriend's life was in turmoil, he was sick, and she'd been so busy and consumed with what his actions had meant for _her_ that she'd taken the first opportunity to make him pay for his imaginary offenses. She stood awkwardly. "Thanks for looking into this," she said, trying to sound sincere.

"Rose, don't go. I can help you sort this out. I want—I want to help you. I want to be with you."

"That can't happen," she replied with a shake her head before Apparating from his flat.

0-0-0

_Scorpius felt like a bloody fucking pervert. No matter how hard he tried to justify his actions, every rationalization he thought of simply confirmed his status as a miserable, low-life, git. How else could you describe someone waiting outside the women's loo at the Ministry's Christmas Party so that he could 'accidentally' get stuck under the mistletoe with Rose Weasley?_

He couldn't abandon the plan, however, because it was his last desperate attempt to get the girl out of his mind. He'd been disappointed that their dance at Hogwart's Leaving Ball hadn't ended his interest in her. If anything, it had convinced him that Rose and Finnigan were horribly mismatched and couldn't possibly last another six months. Of course, no one besides him had been similarly struck by that realization and no break-up occurred.

His hope that 'out of sight out of mind' would finally cure him of his fixation on Rose was similarly dashed when he discovered, on his first day of Auror training, that both she and Finnigan were working at the Ministry. He couldn't even find comfort in the fact that her department was on a different floor than his, because she was always flitting in and out of the Auror offices to see her dad or her cousin, James.

While Scorpius had tried to ignore her, she made it difficult with her constant teasing and taunting whenever they passed in the halls. Frankly, he'd had enough. Tonight was the night that he cleared away the one remaining mystery about Rose Weasley – tonight he found out what was it like to kiss her. He was positive that after a good snog, all her allure would be gone.

Unfortunately, she hadn't approached the loo all evening long. She and Finnigan had arrived two hours ago and made fools of themselves on the dance floor before Rose had been swept off by her younger cousin, Lily. Meanwhile, Finnigan chatted briefly with Al and James Potter before slinking out of the ballroom with Malcolm Baddock, one of his co-workers.

Scorpius caught sight of Rose moving through the crowd, stopping occasionally to chat with some witch or wizard. She looked lovely tonight with her hair piled on top of her head, a couple of ringlets lying against her cheeks. She was wearing a strapless, black and white cocktail dress that was lined with pink silk. It would have made most other women look childish, but it gave Rose an air of lightheartedness and vivacity.

Scorpius was getting ready to refresh his Disillusionment Charm, when he noticed Rose heading in his direction. Using a wordless Finite Incantatem_ to end the charm, Scorpius paced himself so that he walked through the doorway from which hung mistletoe at the exact same moment as Rose._

"Bugger!" she exclaimed, as she tried to move forward but couldn't lift her feet from the floor.

"What the hell?" Scorpius said, trying to sounds as surprised as Rose at not being able to move. He saw Rose glance up and notice the mistletoe hanging above their heads.

"This is just what I need," she murmured, sounding pleased, rather than angry, at the situation.

"Look, Weasley, we can probably get out of this…" He was interrupted by Rose throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips forcefully against his. He was so shocked by her physical aggressiveness that he didn't respond; he just stood there, frozen. It wasn't until she tried to deepen the kiss and rubbed her body against his that he pushed her back and held her at arms' length. "Are you mad?!"

Rose smirked. "What's wrong, Malfoy, afraid you won't compare to Matt?"

"It's inappropriate," he said, feeling like a hypocrite. After all, he'd arranged this entire encounter. Her treating it like a big joke, however, had turned him off. "Your family is in the room, our bosses are here, and dozens of strangers are meandering around. I have no desire to participate in a contrived public snog."

"Likely story," she scoffed. "I should have known you wouldn't have the bollocks to do the job right. Maybe I'll just hang out here until a real Auror comes by."

Merlin, he was an idiot and he needed to just walk away. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She tried to go wild on him again, but he held her head still with his hand and kept his lips gentle in spite her forcefulness. It took several seconds before she surrendered to the feelings he was trying to evoke. Eventually, she sighed into his mouth and relaxed her body against his. He ran his hand from her waist up her side until it brushed the underside of her breast.

Giving a violent shudder, Rose broke from his embrace. She stood staring at him as she struggled to catch her breath. She looked dazed, scared, and sexier than ever before. Scorpius moved to draw her into his arms again, but she spun on her heel and fled into the loo.

As he watched the door swing shut behind her, Scorpius realized that he'd made perhaps the biggest mistake of his life. Uncovering Rose's last mystery had not set him free. Rather, it had bound him to her more tightly than ever before.

0-0-0

Rose shifted her weight from foot to foot. She bit her lip and told herself for the hundredth time that she was doing the right thing. She was attracted to him. She enjoyed his company, and – Merlin help her – she liked him. Taking a deep breath, Rose steeled herself for the upcoming discussion.

She knocked on the door.

She was struck speechless when her cousin, Dominique, answered dressed only in a men's black tee with the word 'Auror' written across the chest.

"Rosie!" Dominique squealed, throwing her arms around the taller girl's neck. "It's so good to see you. How'd you know I was here?"

"I… um… I didn't. I came by to see Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

"I'm in London for the week to see the 'rents. I dropped by The Leaky Cauldron to get a drink and ran into Scorpius. Merlin, he's bulked up since Hogwarts. One thing led to another and…" Dominique grinned, a slightly rakish look in her eyes. "But we can talk about _that_ at the Burrow on Sunday. Let me get Scorpius for you."

As Dominique turned away from the door, Rose could see Malfoy standing in the hall from over her cousin's shoulder. He was staring straight at her, his face expressionless. She tried to ignore the fact that the he was barefooted, shirtless, and hadn't bothered to fasten the top button of his jeans. She watched as her cousin walked toward him. "You have a guest, Scorpius. I'm going to hop in the shower to cleanup. Join me when you are done," Dominique purred, running her hand over his chest before stepping into the loo.

As Scorpius walked toward her, Rose wished she had never come over. What in the world had she been thinking? Of course, he wouldn't be waiting around for her. She didn't mean that much to him.

"What are you doing here, Rose?" he asked abruptly.

She closed her eyes and prayed this was all just a huge nightmare. When she reopened them, however, Scorpius was still standing in front of her, his hair mussed from having recently fucked her cousin. "Rose?" he demanded impatiently.

"I broke up with Matt."

He blinked and she saw his jaw clench, but he had no other response to her announcement. She soldiered on. "He's checked into a rehab facility last week and seems to be doing well."

"So he finally gets his life on track and you dump him?"

Rose huffed. "It was a mutual decision. So he can focus on getting better."

"I bet," Scorpius snorted. "Still, none of that explains why you are here."

She blushed. He seriously didn't want her to say it out loud, not when he had another woman in his flat. "You are a complete and utter bastard."

Scorpius crossed his arm over his chest and continued to stare at her.

"Okay, fine! I thought you might be interested. I thought that maybe we could… go out."

"You thought that I was just waiting around for you. That I had sworn off women until you came to your senses."

"It wasn't like that," she mumbled. "Besides, you said you wanted me. Were you lying?"

"It's been a month since you found out about Finnigan. It's been a month since I told you how I felt. Yet, this is the first time I've heard from you since the day we made love. Please tell me honestly, who here has been jerking who around?"

"I couldn't just drop him. He had a problem. He'd been faithful. He's a decent man. I needed to end it right."

"Well, bloody good for you," Scorpius said before firmly closing the door in her face.

0-0-0

_Scorpius strode quickly down the corridor, late for the daily Auror briefing. As he neared the corner toward the lifts, however, he slowed upon hearing Rose's voice. Looking around the edge of the wall, he saw Rose arguing with Finnigan. She was poking him in the chest with her finger, her face only centimeters away from his. He watched as Finnigan grabbed her wrist and hissed something at her under his breath._

"Bullshit!" Rose growled, pulling away from him. "I'm sick of your excuses. Every day there is another reason why you can't confess to your supervisor. Every day there is another plea for 'just a little more time.' Well, time has just run out. If you don't talk to your boss today, I'll be talking to my father tomorrow."

"Why are you being such a bitch about this?" Finnigan replied angrily. "I just want to get my act together, get clean first, before I go to my boss. What skin is it off your arse if I wait a couple more days?"

"You've been saying for two weeks that you are going to get clean. However, absolutely nothing has changed. You are still sneaking off with Baddock to get high, you're still taking narcotics from your department, and you're still lying to everyone, including yourself, about the extent of your problem."

"You don't get it, Rose. You don't understand how hard it is to stop. I'm trying and so is Malcolm. We are only doing about half the stuff now that we were doing two weeks ago. Do you realize how significant that is? Let me tell you, it's a big fucking deal. That's why I just need a few more days before I'm able to get it out of my system completely. If you loved me, you'd be trying to help me, not threatening to turn me in your daddy."

"You're such an arse. I'd be a complete and utter idiot if I believed you only needed two more days to get clean," Rose told him. "It's always going to be two more days with you. Either you talk to your boss today or I'm turning you in tomorrow."

He grabbed Rose by the arm and shook her. "No, you are not! You are –"

"Is there a problem?" Scorpius interrupted, stepping around the corner and staring at menacingly Finnigan.

"No problem, mate," Finnigan replied, dropping Rose's arm and wrapping an arm around her waist in an effort to portray of an affectionate hug. "I just like to put Rosie in a snit. It makes for a wickedly exciting evening of make-up sex."

Scorpius' eyes narrowed. "Are you alright, Rose?"

"Bugger off, Malfoy. This is none of your business."

"I can send your father or James up here if it would make you feel more comfortable."

"Oh, no need for that, Malfoy," Finnigan said quickly with a nervous smile. "I have to get back to my desk anyway. We'll finish up later, Rosie," he said, giving Rose a quick kiss on the cheek before hopping into the next available lift.

Scorpius stared at her. She looked tired, stressed, annoyed, and yet more beautiful and precious to him than anyone he had ever known. "Rose…"

"Piss off," she replied, brushing past him as she hurried down the corridor away from the lifts.

0-0-0

Rose decided after thirty minutes of staking out Malfoy's gym that she could never be an Auror, it was just too bloody boring. She was thinking about packing it in, going home, and reading a nice smutty wizarding romance when she saw him walk in and start chatting with the piece of fluff at the front desk. "Hey, Scott!" she called, causing him to glance over at her in surprise.

She winked at him. It felt really good to have caught him off guard.

She stood straighter as he marched over to her. "What are you doing here?" he whispered angrily.

"I was thinking of joining. Want to give me a tour?" she asked, before flashing him her best smile.

Scorpius growled something quite vile under his breath before grabbing her by the hand and pulling her behind him. "Marcie, I'm going to show my friend around the gym."

"Alright. Make sure to stop by for a chat before you leave," Marcie flirted.

"Oh, is she your Muggle girlfriend?" Rose teased, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Shut it." Scorpius pointed to the right. "That's the weight room." He next pointed to the left, not bothering to slow down. "There are the racquetball courts. Beyond them are the locker rooms. And here," he said, pointing in front of him, "is the exit."

Rose dug in her heels. "Wait. We need to talk."

He glared at her. "No."

"But I went to all the trouble of tracking you down, figuring out your daily schedule, and wearing a Muggle disguise. I know that sort of thing turns on you law enforcement types."

"A disguise?" Scorpius scoffed. "You look like an idiot."

"I'm wearing Muggle athletic clothes!"

"The pants are for playing cricket, the top is for yoga, and the shoes are basketball high tops. Merlin's beard, Rose, your mum is Muggleborn. How can you be so clueless?"

"Well, excuse me for sleeping through the lecture on sports in Muggle studies," she replied with a slight pout to her lips. "But really, it's the effort that counts."

"Too little, too late," Scorpius replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

His attitude made Rose grin because she _had_ stayed awake during the lecture on Muggle psychology and body language. Crossing one's arms was often a sign of nervous tension and vulnerability. If Scorpius was feeling vulnerable, that meant he still had feelings for her. A better person might have backed off and given the man time to adjust. Rose, however, was the first Weasley in modern memory to be in Slytherin. That meant she had a hard-headed determination to go after what she wanted, when she wanted it, using whatever means necessary.

She leaned toward him. "I don't think so."

"What?"

"I don't think it's too late."

"Of course it is," he replied, brusquely. "I'm already dating your cousin."

"You are going to have to do much better than that, Malfoy," Rose replied with a shake of her head. "Dominique already told me that you and she were a one-off. You didn't even join her in the shower after I showed up at your flat."

"Momentary lapse of judgment on my part," he said. "Next beautiful witch I meet, I'm going to take her home and fuck her until neither of us can walk straight."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Rose told him, taking his hands from their crossed position and holding them in place on her hips. "Especially when you have a witch standing in front of you more than willing to let you do all the perverted and nasty things to her you've been fantasizing about over the last three years."

Scorpius shook his head, tightened his hold on her hips, and drew her against him. "You're wrong."

Rose moved her hands to his shoulders and nuzzled her nose against his neck when he didn't draw away. "You're saying you never spent time in the past imagining us together?"

She felt him take a deep breath, before he kissed her brow, her cheek, her lips. "No," he whispered. "I'm saying, I've been thinking about you and me together for the last four years, not the last three."

Rose laughed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him with all the longing she'd been holding in check for months. "We'd better get started then," she said. "With a list undoubtedly as long as yours, we shouldn't be wasting our time in an upright and fully clothed position."

Scorpius grinned, hugged her tightly, and then led her outside into the bright and revealing sunshine.

The End


End file.
